Jumping rope game apparatus



J1me 1964 c. STEWART JUMPING ROPE GAME APPARATUS Filed June 7, 1962CLARENCE STEWART Mg? (m H15 E k? United States Patent 3,138,377 J UMPINGROPE GAME APPARATUS larence Stewart, 6031 S. Green St, Chicago, Ill.Filed June 7, 1962, Ser. No. 200,707 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-75) Thisinvention relates to a jumping rope game apparatus which is particularlyadapted for playing the game known as jumping rope as played by twopersons, and having the additional novel feature which resides in thefact that it may be used to simulate the now currently popular twistdance.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel rope game apparatuswhich may be used by children for jumping rope while at the same timesimulating the currently popular twist dance.

An additional object of the invention resides in providing a novel ropegame apparatus in which the unit is designed to be played by children ofvarious ages and heights.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, which by way of illustration, shows a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and what Inow consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applyingthat principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same orequivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made asdesired by those skilled in the art without departing from the presentinvention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the new rope game apparatus beingused as a jumping rope by two children;

FIG. 2 is a plan View thereof with a part of the rope broken away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 4-4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of a modification of onefeature of the invention.

A typical embodiment of the new rope game apparatus is shown in thedrawing wherein it is generally indicated at and comprises a preferablyendless flexible member which may have the form of a rope which may bemade of helically wound flexible plastic resinous materials, hemp rope,or other suitable material, and which is preferably elliptical in planshape, and may be of any suitable length as, for example, eight feet,from end to end, considered in assembled plan form, as in FIG. 2.

A generally U-shaped tubular flexible rubber or plastic resinouscovering 12 is preferably mounted on each of the generally U-shaped endportions of the rope, as shown in FIG. 2, and may be fastened thereto inany suitable manner, as by means of a suitable adhesive or otherwise.

In order to adjust the new jumping rope to use by children of variousages and heights, a pair of hand grips or handle members 13 are slidablyand adjustably mounted on each end portion of the rope unit, forwardlyof the adjacent tubular covering 12. Each of these hand grips or handlemembers 13 may be adjustably mounted on the rope 11 so as to enable therope to be held by children of various ages and heights and for thispurpose each of the hand grips 13 has a tongue and groove connectionwith the body of the flexible rope members 11. To this end a pair oflongitudinally extending guide tongues 14 are formed in each of the sideportions of the rope 11, preferably 180 apart, and these tongues 14project into and are slidably and frictionally received in a pair ofcorresponding shaped grooves 15 which are formed in each of 3,l38,377Patented June 23, 1964 the handle members or hand grips 13 (FIG. 4).However, if desired, the relative positions of the parts, that is, thetongue 14 and groove 15 may be reversed and the groove formed in thebody of the rope 11 and the tongue formed in the body of the covering13, as shown in FIG. 5.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5 is substantially thesame as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, and those partsthereof which are the same or similar to corresponding parts in the formof the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, are given thesame reference numerals followed by the additional and distinguishingreference character a.

In the use of the new rope game apparatus the same may be used by two ormore children, as shown, with the players standing with one of theflexible cover members 12 encircling the back of each childs waist sothat the weight of the childs body may be disposed thereagainst, andwith the players gripping the hand grips 13, whereupon the new rope gameunit may be used as a jump rope while, at the same time, childrenplaying it may sway sidewise to impart a twisting motion to their bodiessimulating the popular twist dance.

The hand grips 13 may be slidably adjusted on the rope 11 to accommodatethem to children of various heights and ages.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, con.- sidered inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present inventionprovides a new and improved jumping rope game apparatus having thedesired advantages and characteristics and accomplishing its intendedobjects including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which areinherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A jumping rope game apparatus comprising a continuous, flexiblemember of rope-like material of generally oval form, and having tworounded end portions, each of which is covered with a substantiallytubular flexible covering member adapted to and of a length sufficientto encircle the back of the waist portion of a child when playing withthe said jumping rope game apparatus, and two side portions of saidrope-like material being spaced laterally from each other and being freefrom covering members and integrally joined at their ends to the saidrounded end portions.

2. A jumping rope game apparatus comprising a continuous, flexiblemember of rope-like material of generally oval form, and having tworounded end portions, each of which is covered with a substantiallytubular flexible covering member adapted to encircle the back of thewaist portion of a child when playing with the said jumping rope gameapparatus, and two side portions of said rope-like material free fromcovering members and integrally joined at their ends to the said roundedend portions, said jumping rope game apparatus including a pair of handgrips for each end portion, said hand grips being fitted in africtionally engaging relation over said side portions and disposedinwardly of said end portions, said hand grips being adjustable tovarious positions by a back and forth sliding movement along said sideportions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,922,169 Martin Aug. 15, 1933 2,621,043 Olmstead Dec. 9, 1952 2,769,439Layer Nov. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 279,894 Germany Oct. 22, 1913 473,388Germany Mar. 14, 1929

1. A JUMPING ROPE GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS, FLEXIBLEMEMBER OF ROPE-LIKE MATERIAL OF GENERALLY OVAL FORM, AND HAVING TWOROUNDED END PORTIONS, EACH OF WHICH IS COVERED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLYTUBULAR FLEXIBLE COVERING MEMBER ADAPTED TO AND OF A LENGTH SUFFICIENTTO ENCIRCLE THE BACK OF THE WAIST PORTION OF A CHILD WHEN PLAYING WITHTHE SAID JUMPING ROPE GAME APPARATUS, AND TWO SIDE PORTIONS OF SAIDROPE-LIKE MATERIAL BEING SPACED LATERALLY FROM EACH OTHER AND BEING FREEFROM COVERING MEMBERS AND INTEGRALLY JOINED AT THEIR ENDS TO THE SAIDROUNDED END PORTIONS.